Bulldozer action on houses of three murder accused in Chhattisgarh's Durg
Durg, Feb 12: Authorities in Chhattisgarh's Durg district on Monday demolished the illegally constructed portions of houses of three persons arrested in connection with the murder of a 17-year-old boy in Bhilai city, officials said.
According to officials, the action was taken based on a report of the revenue inspector and patwari to the local municipal corporation.
The authorities razed illegally constructed portions of houses belonging to the accused, Nikesh Chauhan, Sumit Chauhan and a minor boy, in the Shardapara locality under Chhawani police station limits, an official here said.
The trio were among five persons arrested for stabbing the Class 12 student to death over a personal dispute in the locality on January 21, he said.
A probe by the civic authorities revealed that the families of the accused had encroached on additional land while constructing their houses, the official said.
A notice was served to them for encroachment, and action was taken as per the Municipality Act, he said.
Welcoming the civic body's action, local BJP MLA Rikesh Sen warned that people committing offences in his Vaishali Nagar constituency will face similar action.
"The bulldozer action was taken on the houses of the accused in the murder of Class 12 student Shivam. I had said on January 22 that if anyone is found indulging in offences of 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), molestation or any other crime, they will face the same action. Criminals in my constituency should now remain alert," Sen said.
The state will become crime-free under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, he said.
Last month, authorities had taken similar action against the main accused in the murder of a cow shelter worker in the state's Kabirdham district.
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Prez nod for FIR against AAP's Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain in Rs 2,000-cr classroom 'scam'
New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval for the registration of an FIR against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in an alleged scam of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools, sources said.
In 2022, the Delhi government's vigilance directorate recommended a probe into the alleged scam and submitted a report to the chief secretary.
The President has given her approval for registering the FIR against Sisodia and Jain in connection with the alleged scam during their tenures as ministers in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, the sources said.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), in a report dated February 17, 2020, highlighted "glaring irregularities" in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The President's approval came under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act that pertains to "enquiry or inquiry or investigation of offences relatable to recommendations made or decision taken by public servant in discharge of official functions or duties".
Reacting to the development, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of carrying out a witch-hunt against its political rivals.
The BJP has no interest or intention to fulfil the promises it made to the people of Delhi. Its only agenda is to carry out a witch-hunt against its political rivals to stifle the voice of people, the former minister said in a statement.
The BJP-led central government has already decided to prosecute every political adversary of the party and grant approvals to move the case forward but it should wait for the judicial process to begin, he said.
In July 2019, BJP leader Harish Khurana and then AAP rebel MLA Kapil Mishra, now a minister in the Delhi government, lodged a police complaint about the alleged scam.
According to a report prepared by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi government, the complainants alleged that there was a scam worth over Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms and school buildings in Delhi. The work was done at a highly inflated cost by the Delhi government.
The alleged scam involves the construction of around 12,748 classrooms.
The ACB report said the total expenditure incurred for constructing the classrooms and school buildings was around Rs 2,892.65 crore. They were allegedly constructed at the rate of Rs 8,800 per square feet, whereas it was common knowledge that the average construction cost (even for a builder of flats) was around Rs 1,500 per square feet.
The total cost for constructing a classroom and school building, according to the tender awarded, was allegedly around Rs 24.86 lakh per room, whereas such rooms are easily constructed in Delhi at around Rs 5 lakh per room, it said.
The prices were increased almost five times to defraud the taxpayer by siphoning off money from the public exchequer in the garb of construction cost, the report said.
Even for a 5-star hotel, top ultra-luxury quality construction is around Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 per square feet, it said.
The complainants submitted a copy of documents in which information received under the RTI Act in respect of the construction of 18 classrooms in the Govt Girls Senior Secondary School, Nathupura, Burari (school ID:-1207111) revealed that they were constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore, the ACB report said.
